A Lotus team official has given no indication as to whether there is substance to reports linking Kamui Kobayashi with a 2010 race seat.

A Lotus team official has given no indication as to whether there is substance to reports linking Kamui Kobayashi with a 2010 race seat.

Jarno Trulli, Jacques Villeneuve and Christian Klien have already been linked with the new Malaysian-owned outfit, and after Toyota's departure from F1, the 23-year-old Japanese Kobayashi named Lotus as his preferred plan-B for next year.

Kobayashi impressed while deputising for the injured Timo Glock in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, and had Toyota stayed in F1 he would almost certainly have secured a full time seat.

Lotus F1 chief executive Riad Asmat said he was happy Lotus is considered a strong option by drivers.

"It is quite an honour for us to be seen as such and for drivers such as Kobayashi wanting to be part of the team. This means they see us as a serious team even though we're new," he told the New Straits Times.